Artemis' Oath
by Jazzeegirl
Summary: Kenzie Montgomery is just an ordinary girl. Granted, she may have anger management issues and ADHD, but she is still a human. Or is she? Kenzie's world is thrown into chaos when her mother goes missing and she finds herself at a camp where weird half goats live alongside demigods. Her life is made even more difficult when a certain goddess takes interest in her.


**Hi! Jazzee here! I used to write fanfiction about two years ago and just recently got back into it when I had this idea. So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original Percy Jackson characters or the series. I only own my OC's and the plot.**

I race through the darkness, my feet barely skimming the ground. The full moon bathes the world in silvery light, giving my surroundings a ghostly feel, but I am not one to be easily scared. At least that's what I tell myself. A haunting scream pierces the night and I push myself to go faster. There is something out there that doesn't belong in my small town. I imagine I can feel hot breath on my neck and hear pounding footsteps behind me. I have a stitch in my side but pain has never stopped me. The thing that chased me out of my house must be somewhere near, but I don't dare look back. My mother is gone without a trace, and I have no one to call in this hostile town. My so-called "friends" would never let me into their homes, and the teachers at school think I am a disturbed "trouble child."

The only place to go is a camp my mother mentioned in Long Island. She said it would help me with my special abilities. I assumed it was a camp for "special" people (read: kids with insane ADHD and anger management issues) and adamantly refused to go, even when Mom looked like she might cry. If she wanted me to go so much, maybe she had already enrolled me. I could tell them that I arrived early because my mother had to visit my sick and dying great aunt, even though I am not aware of any great aunt and if I had one, I would be going with Mom.

The cramp in my abdomen forces me to stop and wait for the knife of pain to subside. I flatten myself against a brick building, hoping to be invisible to anyone who passes by. Light, pattering footsteps almost cause me to sprint off again, until I realize that they are just the steps of a rat. I used to own a pet rat named Sprinkles, but she ran away two days after I got her and probably got eaten by something.

Another sound causes me to tense like a coiled spring. Heavy pants are rasping through the alleyway, sending chills down my spine. I can't stay here, but if I move, the thing chasing me will pounce. I haven't even seen it yet, but I know it's out for my blood and it is an exceptional tracker. Normally, if I don't want to be found, you can guarantee that you won't find me. The thing howls and turns the corner. I can see its enormous, bulky body silhouetted by the streetlamps. It has thick legs that end in furry paws, a dog-like head, glowing red eyes, and two lumps on its back. Those menacing eyes lock onto me.

There is no choice now. I run, pouring everything I have into the motion. I am not out of shape; I was the state individual crosscountry champion this year. But the adrenaline rush and the stress are causing my breath to come in short bursts instead of the long, healing breaths I was taught to take by multiple coaches.

A voice splits the air, hardly audible over the rushing of the blood in my ears and the pounding of the thing's paw steps. "Wait! We aren't going to hurt you!"

Yeah, right. I can't even count how many times a promise has been made to me only to be broken. And everyone knows males are less trustworthy than females, and the deep voice most definitely is masculine **(A/N this is purely the view of the character, based on her experiences. I don't want to offend any guys out there!)** I keep running. The neighbourhood I am in is filled with slumbering families in their lavish houses. I must be on Magnolia Road, where the wealthy live. If I take a right turn on the next street, I should be able to lose the thing in the maze of hedges that make up the only park in town.

I never make it to the next street. Right as I see it, a lithe shadow detaches itself from a nearby tree and knocks me over. The wind goes out of me in a whoosh and my elbow gets scraped on the pavement. Before I can even scramble to my feet and make use of the fighting skills honed after years of being picked on by bullies, something thuds into my head from behind and my vision goes black.

I am woken by a stinging pain in the back of my head. I wince away from the hand dabbing something into the wound on my head. The pillows propping me up fall as my arm jerks backward in a reflex, luckily not hitting anything.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" a girl exclaims. I crack open my eyes, braced for my world to spin, but thankfully, everything stays the right way up. The girl who was attending me has baby blue eyes that are wide with worry. "I'm Bella. You might have a concussion, so I have to ask you a few things. Is that okay?"

I groggily nod. She talks too quickly for it to be normal. "Okay. What is your name?"

"Mackenzie Montgomery," I answer. The bed I'm sitting on is uncomfortable; the sheets scratch against my bare legs and the hospital gown crinkles with every shift in my weight. I force myself to sit perfectly still, like a statue. I'm used to pretending to be invisible, so it is not too hard, although concentrating with bright lights and the sterile smell washing over me is.

"Great. Can I call you Kenzie?"

I nod again. At least I don't have to tell her my nickname.

"Can you tell me what date it is, Kenzie?"

"June 4."

"That _is_ the night you were knocked out on, although it's actually June 6. And I've already had a word with Percy and Annabeth, so they won't be as forceful in future extractions." For a moment, the bubbly girl, who couldn't have been more than 13, looks so fierce that I almost laugh. "What are your parents' names?"

I pause before answering as anxiety spears me at the thought of my mother. "My mom is Joanne Montgomery. And I never knew my dad."

"Oh, excellent!" Bella smiles, as if that's a good thing.

I stand up. The room I'm in is large and airy, with a row of beds on two opposite walls. Three are occupied. Two hold regular, human-looking occupants, like me, but the other holds...I don't know what it is. It has the chest and head of a human boy, but there are horns sticking out of its long, Thor-style hair and furry goat legs sprout from its hips. I blink rapidly. Maybe I do have a concussion.

"That's a satyr. His name is Rowan," Bella follows my gaze. She whispers, "He's in here because he got a little too friendly with a very unfriendly girl." Bella giggles and takes my hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron."

Mind reeling, I allow myself to be lead out of the room. Normally, I would have yanked my hand away out of habit, but I am so out of it that I think the motion would make me fall over. "Chiron's appearance is a bit startling, so you may want to sit down." We are on a wraparound porch with many mismatched deck chairs scattered around it and a few tables with cards spread out on them, as if someone had abandoned their game in haste. I sink into a wooden chair with fading navy blue paint. It isn't comfortable by any standards, but I am glad for the excuse to just sit and take everything in. What happened two days ago? Where did the thing that was chasing me go? How did I get here? I expected to be eaten, or at least taken prisoner. But here I am, being treated like a guest by a perfectly regular looking girl. Yes, there was the weird half goat, but he didn't seem very monstrous.

The view from the porch is strange. I can see cabins in an omega shape in the distance, a climbing wall that seems to be spitting fire, a wicked obstacle course that would excite me in average circumstances, and peaceful strawberry fields. The entire place reminds me of a camp! Maybe this is where my mother wanted me to go. Maybe they know who I am and that's why I'm here. But that still doesn't explain how I got her.

I am drawn out of my thoughts by the clip-clop sound on the wooden deck. I crane my neck to search for the source of the noise and nearly have a heart attack from the sight.

A man with kind, wise eyes and bushy hair is walking up to me. But he is not a man. The person I am supposed to get all the answers from is half horse.

**I hope you liked the chapter! I am really excited for this story and for getting back into fanfiction in general. I know I didn't give much information in this chapter, but I promise that Kenzie's story is going to reveal itself, little by little. And the central conflict will become clear in the next few chapters. Please review! It makes my day ****J**


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